lost kitten : {uni}
Jul 7, 2017 21:37:48 GMT -5
Post by goat on Jul 7, 2017 21:37:48 GMT -5
alyson renner
The weather has been unbearable. The heat mixes with the humidity to create the sort of drink they force into your throat while you’re being tortured. Even as the day stretches on, the sun shows no signs of stopping its violent conquest. I always go for a daily run, but as the days begin to resemble hell more and more, it’s become less of a fun activity and more of a chore. I don’t want to look weak to my brothers, though. When one of them invited me to run with them this afternoon, I couldn’t say no.
Our feet land in rhythm on the sidewalk. My brother seems fine, but I feel like somebody has stuffed me inside an oven. I jerk to a sudden stop. I wipe the sweat from my forehead and then wipe my sweaty hand on my shirt. My brother continues to jog ahead of me, but I stay put, leaning forward and inhaling a hot, deep breath.
“Seriously?” My brother yells, obviously impatient.
“Can we stop?” I ask.
He rolls his eyes and jogs back to where I’m doubled over. “You like running,” he points out.
“Not when it’s a hundred fucking degrees,” I mutter.
“Oh, stop being a baby. I have no problem running in it.” And with that, he sprints away, content to finish our jog by himself.
I straighten myself up, run a hand through my sopping wet hair, adjust my stained tank top. I look like a disaster, like somebody dunked me in lava and left me out to melt. At least I stopped near a park. There’s plenty of benches to lie on and trees to find shade under. I seek out the perfect combination of the two and fall backwards onto the bench. It feels thirty degrees cooler under the blanket of leaves. I shift my entire body onto the bench and lie down on the wood. If I closed my eyes, I would fall asleep, no doubt.
The intense blue sky is just visible through the space between the leaves. It feels so peaceful. I rarely get moments of peace in my life. I want to capture this in a jar, like children do with fireflies.
A sudden weight lands on my legs. My head snaps forward to see what it was. A cat, jet black with a pointed face, is perched on me. Oh. “Oh," I say, and the cat turns to look at me.
He’s cute. I make a kissing noise, and the cat climbs further up my body until he's in my lap. I sit upright to pet the cat between his shoulders. “Hey there,” I whisper, soft, so he won’t run away. “Are you lost?”
He doesn’t answer, because he’s a cat.
I scoop the cat into my arms and swing my legs over the side of the bench. He doesn't protest. I think he’s purring. I’ve never been around a cat long enough to hear them purr, but I’m pretty sure this is it. “Let’s find your home,” I tell him.
Our feet land in rhythm on the sidewalk. My brother seems fine, but I feel like somebody has stuffed me inside an oven. I jerk to a sudden stop. I wipe the sweat from my forehead and then wipe my sweaty hand on my shirt. My brother continues to jog ahead of me, but I stay put, leaning forward and inhaling a hot, deep breath.
“Seriously?” My brother yells, obviously impatient.
“Can we stop?” I ask.
He rolls his eyes and jogs back to where I’m doubled over. “You like running,” he points out.
“Not when it’s a hundred fucking degrees,” I mutter.
“Oh, stop being a baby. I have no problem running in it.” And with that, he sprints away, content to finish our jog by himself.
I straighten myself up, run a hand through my sopping wet hair, adjust my stained tank top. I look like a disaster, like somebody dunked me in lava and left me out to melt. At least I stopped near a park. There’s plenty of benches to lie on and trees to find shade under. I seek out the perfect combination of the two and fall backwards onto the bench. It feels thirty degrees cooler under the blanket of leaves. I shift my entire body onto the bench and lie down on the wood. If I closed my eyes, I would fall asleep, no doubt.
The intense blue sky is just visible through the space between the leaves. It feels so peaceful. I rarely get moments of peace in my life. I want to capture this in a jar, like children do with fireflies.
A sudden weight lands on my legs. My head snaps forward to see what it was. A cat, jet black with a pointed face, is perched on me. Oh. “Oh," I say, and the cat turns to look at me.
He’s cute. I make a kissing noise, and the cat climbs further up my body until he's in my lap. I sit upright to pet the cat between his shoulders. “Hey there,” I whisper, soft, so he won’t run away. “Are you lost?”
He doesn’t answer, because he’s a cat.
I scoop the cat into my arms and swing my legs over the side of the bench. He doesn't protest. I think he’s purring. I’ve never been around a cat long enough to hear them purr, but I’m pretty sure this is it. “Let’s find your home,” I tell him.
wc; 509
